


now and then

by unspecified (modernscience)



Series: Meandering through (until I find you) [5]
Category: Fashion Model RPF, Karlie Kloss - Fandom, Kaylor - Fandom, Taylor Swift (Musician)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, Vignettes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-18
Updated: 2016-03-18
Packaged: 2018-05-27 12:10:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,135
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6284005
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/modernscience/pseuds/unspecified
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <em>There’s a part of you that thinks this is all a dream and you’ll wake up in Kandahar at any second, but she taps the rim of your cap with a sly smile tugging at the corner of her lips and it’s enough to bring you back to the moment.</em>
</p><p>***</p><p>"Ours" AU</p>
            </blockquote>





	now and then

Talks of withdrawal had been swirling for what seems to be weeks now but nobody had an official confirmation until about 5 minutes ago when Colonel Paine called for her regulatory morning briefing. Everyone in the barrack is anxious with anticipation, including yourself, but she goes about everything by the book: Overview, schedules, rundowns.

 

Halfway through the meeting, the dejection you’ve been steadily pushing finally wins and settles in. _Should’ve known better, Kloss_.

It bubbles up in the pit of your stomach and snakes its way up to your throat, the constant rise and fall between anger at the people who’ve been swearing by their words and disappointment in letting yourself believe it in the first place. You grip the pen a little tighter and dig into the pages as you write out instructions; your left hand rhythmically tap tap taps on the table at a rapid pace. It’s loud enough to distract Paine and earns you a light poke on the shoulder from Dunn, silently mouthing “You okay?” with her brows furrowed together. You swallow the bitterness away, burying it deeper until you can no longer feel its claws around your neck, and flash her a smile in reply.

 

Except for the spaces she would sit for your regular video chats, you’ve almost forgotten how the house looks like in its entirety. You actually entertained the idea of spending Christmas back home for a while there; the first time in long time. Sitting by the fire place in those incredibly cheesy Christmas sweaters she would knit for the two of you. A real homemade eggnog (not the box kind that’s always too sweet). The smell of fresh pine tree that’s going to be dead within a week or two. The cat’s meows that echoes through the living room, which you swore you wouldn’t miss.

It feels so close you can almost taste the sweet smell of her perfume whenever she would snuggle herself closer to you.You let yourself remember the feel of her skin against yours and you reckon it’s probably enough to paralyze you.

 

“Alright. I guess that just leaves us with one thing.” Your head snaps up in attention, and so does everyone else. Paine clears her throat and you’re pretty sure it’s for effect, which is appreciated every now and then, but this time a part of you wants to smack it out of her already. “I’m sure by now you’re familiar with the circulating rumors…”

 

The room erupts in cheers - claps, hugs, chest bumps, the works. You’ve never seen some 500 military personnel look so happy, so relieved. There’s an unspoken element that binds you all together in a solid camaraderie, a widespread knowledge that at this point everybody’s going through the motions and it’s all been done countless of times before; a hamster stuck in the middle of a continuously revolving wheel, but _thank fucking god_. You were first assigned here four years ago - christ has it been that long? - a newly promoted officer on her first round with the Special Forces.

 

Your squad makes a loud whoop from behind before they swarm you in their group hug, and you can’t help but shed a tear. In 72 days, it’ll all be over.

 

* * *

 

You tell her the news during your Skype call and she _flips._

 

“Taylor… Can you stop jumping for 5 seconds?”

 

“I cannot _believe_ this is actually happening! Like. This is actually happening?!"

 

“Affirmative.” The grin on your face seeps into your voice.

 

“So… I guess this might be a good time to tell you that we have 2 cats now.”

 

“What?”

 

She introduces you to Olivia (“but we’ll call her Dibbles”) and you put on an annoyed front (“I thought we agreed there will be no more cats, what the hell”), but she eggs you on and keeps shoving the cat’s face into the camera and _okay okay fine I guess she’s cute we can keep her._

 

She goes off on a tangent about “Harold, who thinks he owns the water cooler in the pantry”, and you’re grateful for the distraction.

 

* * *

 

When you land, the sun is glaring down on your skin and the heat penetrates straight through your uniform on a fiery hot day. There's a hidden sense of familiarity yet everything feels strangely out of place at the same time. It's overwhelming to say the least, but you’re thankful for the signs in a language you can understand, for the kind welcome you’ve received from strangers, for making it out alive.

 

She’s waving at you from the other side of the glass partition, her arm swooshes from one side to the other almost making a half-circle and your chest feels like it's going to burst any second. Every muscle in your body is screaming her name; god fucking _damnit_ if she doesn't look more beautiful than you’ve ever seen her, even on your wedding day. The smile on your face must make you look absolutely ridiculous right now, though it’s not like you care.

 

You pick up your pace while keeping your eyes locked on her and she cuts her way through the crowd, trying to meet you halfway. At the end of the gate corridor you shift your duffel bag onto your back and spread your arms wide open readying yourself. She crashes onto you like you’re a buoy in the middle of the ocean. You catch her on her waist and practically lift her off the ground, holding onto her like a lifeline you've been searching for all your life. It’s everything you dreamt it would be and more.

 

“I thought I was gonna be late, there’s a last minute meeting and it ran forever and I keep telling Derek I need to go but he—“

 

You silence her with a kiss and… “How many Wrigley's have you _had_?"

 

“I had a sushi burrito for lunch, so a lot.”

 

You throw your head back laughing and she kisses your nose before meeting your lips with hers again, the aftertaste of fresh mint and bubblegum lingers even after she pulls away. Her fingers traces every inch of your jawline and she studies every nook and cranny of your face and you find your solace in her blue eyes. The surreality of the situation is not lost on either of you. It’s one thing to talk about this day and imagine what it would be like, but it’s an entirely different thing to have it happen right here, right now. There’s a part of you that thinks this is all a dream and you’ll wake up in Kandahar at any second, but she taps the rim of your cap with a sly smile tugging at the corner of her lips and it’s enough to bring you back to the moment.

 

"Welcome home, Lieutenant."


End file.
